


Take the Leap

by Nenesh30



Category: Chicago Fire
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-08
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:15:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24078835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nenesh30/pseuds/Nenesh30
Summary: Sylvie knows that loving the wrong person can hurt, it seems like her heart doesn't understand that. This time she's not going to let herself get hurt, she's gonna stay away no matter what happens.Too bad she didn't tell that to Matt. He's not about to let himself regret another damn thing and he's not about to accept another flawed relationship this time he's going to get it right.
Relationships: Sylvie Brett/Matthew Casey
Comments: 131
Kudos: 167





	1. Confessions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pall/gifts).



> This was originally going to be a one-shot, but I think it'll be better as a multi-chapter fic.  
> I hope you guys enjoy!!!!

Emily lived for smoothie runs, it made the long shifts go by faster, but Brett wasn’t being her usual funny self and that worried her a bit. It wasn’t just today, she noticed it had been going on for a bit, she thought that Sylvie would come clean by now but she really was holding it in.

“What’s up, you’ve been really quiet today,” Foster remarked.

Sylvie sighed, keeping her feelings to herself was really weighing her down, “Remember that day when went on that naked guy call and we met that realtor.” She paused waiting for Foster’s affirmation, “Well, when Julie and I went to visit him, he asked me out, which you know. I never told anyone what Julie told me after that and It’s just been weighing on my mind.”

Emily nodded and patiently waited for Sylvie to continue but she seemed to be losing herself in the memory. “Brett.” She said while tapping her shoulder gently.

“She said that I was still hung up on Matt when Nick asked me out.” She confessed hoping Foster would get her meaning.

Emily frowned that wasn’t something new, she and Stella teased her about it all the time. “Okay, I mean why did that bother you, it’s not like I haven’t teased you about it.”

“It’s not that, it’s just it got me thinking and I made a decision.” Sylvie had spent weeks deliberating and Julie’s death had put everything into perspective for her. It wasn’t a conclusion she was happy with but it was the truth and that’s what mattered. “I’m in love with Matt and I spent so much time denying my feelings and pretending they weren’t there that I rejected men interested me because I did know what I wanted. I want to say that I like him but that would be a lie because what I feel for him is something that I’ve never felt for anyone. When we’re together I feel safe, respected, challenged and vulnerable in the right way” She sighed feeling relieved.

Foster frowned and scrunched up her lips there was something Sylvie wasn’t telling her, “But”

Sylvie hung her head, she hoped Emily wasn’t going to notice, “But, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because he will never feel the same way.” She felt so resigned, she couldn’t catch a break in the romance department. Why was she always falling for the wrong guy?

“Hey, wait, you won’t know until you tell him.” Forster quickly interjected.

“That’s the thing, I don’t want to make the first move. It’s always me gathering up my courage making the first move. You know for once I want to be chased, I want someone to make the effort for me. I know my worth don’t get me wrong, I just want someone to value my worth.” Sylvie confessed the words that she had longed to let go of for years.

Emily was flabbergasted Sylvie never ever seemed to be bothered about making the first move, but this seemed to be something she was holding on to for the longest time. “I’m sorry I didn’t know you felt that way.” She felt sympathetic towards her, it must’ve been eating at her.

“It’s frustrating, I just want something real.” She said while giving Foster a small smile.

“How do know you can’t have something real with the captain?” She inquired.

“Maybe at one point I thought we could but I realized that no one can compare to Dawson. Before she came back, I was about to ask him for coffee, not exactly a date but for a chat to feel the waters. Obviously, I chickened out, there’s so much history there that I hesitated. Then, she came back and I saw that look on his face. She’s always going to be the one for him you know, obviously, they were always meant to be even when they going through hard times. I’m pretty sure he’ll never fall in love again.”

Sylvie bit her lip in hesitation, she needed to be careful with what she said next. It wasn’t something she thought of often but she knew in her heart that this was the truth. “All of my relationships have been lacking. It feels like in the heat of the moment they were perfect, when looking back on them I realize they were all settlements. They had no foundations; they were based on nothing real. Harrison wanted me to be a doormat. With Antonio, it was like I was a dirty secret that he liked but when it came to anything real, he half-assed it. He was always saying it was complicated, he never tried to make it uncomplicated, he was never proud of being with me outside of the two of us or Gabby and Matt. Kyle was sweet and when he ended things the first time around, it took me a bit of time but I got over it. I never considered going back until Casey said we were meant to be together and then Kyle proposed. I don’t think I would have ever said yes without Casey telling me that. I feel like I settled for Kyle because of Casey and I couldn’t even admit that until everything was said and done and I came back to Chicago.”

Emily didn’t know what to say; it was easy to forget that Sylvie had feelings other than happy, “Wow, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. You and Casey have foundation though, that’s something to consider also, you know.”

She smiled wryly, “Casey will actually destroy me if I ever even try to pursue this. I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I want someone to look at me the way my parents look at each other, or literally like every couple in the firehouse look at each other. I don’t want to not see that look in his eyes.” Sylvie wasn’t ever going to be a consolation prize. “I refuse to be the rebound. I can’t.”

“Damn straight, you are too good of a woman to be waiting around for a man chasing a ghost.” Foster felt the anger bubble in her chest, Sylvie was too good of a woman to feel this way.

Sylvie knocked Foster’s arm in gratitude, “I promised myself that I would move on, it’s just going to be hard. The minute Cruz confirmed that she RSVP’d to the wedding, I feel this weight on my chest that won’t go away. I’ve seen how they are together and that kind of chemistry doesn’t go away. I’m just going to do my best to step out of their way. At the same time, I want to go up to her and tell her off for leaving him the way she did. He’d probably have my head if I did that.”

“Then consider me your wing-woman for the night.” She promised as a show of solidarity.

Sylvie felt lighter than she had in weeks, having good friends made tough moments easier. “I owe you a lifetime of smoothies”

Foster smiled conspiratorially while driving into the lot of the firehouse, “Alright girl put your game face on, I am going to be your shadow and keep you away from captain Casey. Before you say anything, let’s be honest here, you are drawn to Casey like a moth to a flame.”

Sylvie nodded in agreement unable to disagree with that statement while watching Foster park, “Well, I will be honoured to follow your lead on this.”

“Good. I appreciate the trust. Come on, let’s go get some lunch.” Before exiting the rig, Foster grabbed her arm, “I won’t do it if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Sylvie smiled good-naturedly, “I need this, I’m just going to get hurt.”

Sylvie grinned at Foster and started humming fight song by Rachel Platten while getting out. Foster levelled her with a look but made no further move to stop her, Sylvie not seeing any really opposition began to belt out the lyrics. “This is my fight song, take back my life song, prove I’m alright song-”

“Brett, I don’t think anyone doubts you can hold your own.” Casey interrupted, halting Sylvie in her tracks making her smile tentatively at him. Foster looked on and saw a huge smirk on the captain’s face, maybe Sylvie got it all wrong?

She didn’t want to find out and risk breaking Sylvie’s heart in the process, “Captain, we have a date with lunch and we cannot risk you interrupting that, Captain.” She wanted to help Sylvie, but she didn’t want to disrespect the Captain in the process.

Casey furrowed his brow in classic fashion, Sylvie quickly interjected before either of them could continue, “Ah, um, well you heard Foster. Can’t get between her and food.” She winced at Casey while Foster grabbed her arm and dragged her to the common room. He looked on at the women in confusion, it was out of character for Foster to step into a conversation between him and Sylvie.

Sylvie felt a bit guilty for rushing out the way that she did, but she was going to put her heart first no matter what. As they walked into the common room, she whispered a soft thanks to Foster.

They both grabbed a plate and sat down. Sylvie didn’t feel like making conversation with anyone after confessing to Foster, it took a lot of energy out of her. Telling someone how you were feeling inside always made them feel real; a part of her always knew that Casey would never feel that way about her, but now that it was out there it felt final. How was she supposed to tell her heart that? She scrunched her face up a bit trying to hold back her tears, lost in thought; she just felt like she lost another part of herself. She quickly finished her plate, informing Foster she was going to rest in the bunkroom for some quiet.

Falling back onto her bed, she stared resolutely at the ceiling. Gabby was coming back and she only had two weeks to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable lovefest. Had she known that being close to Casey was going to lead down this road, she would have turned left. Since Cruz let it slip that Dawson was coming, Matt seemed to have an extra pep in his step. She was starting to spiral down this rabbit hole, every nerve ending in her body was tensing making her feel extremely uncomfortable in her own skin.

Matt walked towards his quarters needing to get further into his paperwork; it was a slow day for truck 81, only ambulance 61 seemed to be the only one called out consistently today. Although Chief was understanding of how busy they were, Severide and he felt weird not completing their paperwork ahead of time. He intended to go straight to his office but he saw Sylvie boring her eyes into the ceiling. She was acting distant ever since Julie died, he didn’t want to feel offended but he missed talking to her. He sat at the end of her bunk and gently touched her leg.

Sylvie almost jumped out of her skin when she felt someone touch her leg, she thought she was alone. Sitting up, Matt was sitting at the end of her bed holding on to her leg.

“Hey” He whispered softly.

He caught her by surprise; she allowed Foster to keep them separated but it seemed like she always came full circle to him. “Casey”

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay, we haven’t really had a chance to talk lately.” He said while keeping his hand on her leg.

She smiled softly at him, of course, he was worried. That just made this that much harder, how was she supposed to calm her heart when he did things like this?

Before she could reply the bells had sounded for the ambulance again, “I’m sorry, that’s me.”

He nodded in understanding and let her go.

She rushed towards the ambulance and jumped in at the same time as Foster, who noticed the PICs reddening cheeks. “I think I need to stick to you like glue from now on.”

Foster was confused she thought Sylvie was napping, “Why, what happened?”

“Casey”

“Ah” Foster nodded, focusing on the road ahead. She hoped it was a quick simple call, she needed to talk to Stella about this. Foster understood that Sylvie had made up her mind, but maybe Kidd had some insight from Severide that could help them out.

Thankfully, their call ended up being relatively quick, though Sylvie insisted they restock before heading back to the firehouse. Foster didn’t mind it gave her a chance to text Stella and tell her she needed to run something by her privately.

Once restocked, they headed back to the firehouse where she informed Sylvie she needed to talk to Stella and would meet up with her in a bit. Foster and Stella agreed to meet in the turnout room, it was the only place they could talk where they were less likely to be interrupted or overheard.

“Alright Foster, what’s this about, you been pretty jumpy since this morning,” Stella asked while raising her hands in question.

Foster crossed her arms and smiled softly at her, “It’s about Brett, I’m sure she’s going to tell you what she told me later but I was hoping to kind of quickly loop you in and get your advice.”

Stella tensed up in concern, “Is she okay?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah, you know all things considering.” Foster quickly responded putting Stella at ease, “I’m talking more about her emotional state. She finally confessed how she felt about you know who.”

“Finally,” She exclaimed in exasperation.

“Well don’t get too excited, she also said that it’s never going to amount to anything.”

“How would she know that; I mean they would have to try?” Stella wasn’t sure where this was coming from, in their line of work love wasn’t something they took lightly.

“Gabby is coming back and she said that Casey will always love her no matter what and she refused to be a consolation a prize,” Foster explained.

Stella frowned, “They’ve been divorced for years now, I’m pretty sure he’s ready to move on. Gabby might have been a great love but she’s not his last love.”

“When she came back last time, they fell back into it.”

“I-” They were both interrupted by the bells calling the firehouse out for a fire that had started in an apartment complex.


	2. One Last Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like we needed Angsty Sylvie. I hope you guys enjoy it!

It wasn’t a pretty sight, the fire turned out to be gruesome reminiscent of the complex fire that took the life of Pat Hallstead. Sylvie had a bad feeling that she couldn’t shake; they almost lost Stella in that fire.

Firehouse four was first on the scene when they arrived so they had control of the fire; chief Boden and the other chief were discussing the game plan. Casey and Severide were also assessing the situation in front of her.

She knew she was staring at him and she knew she should’ve felt ashamed but she couldn’t. She could feel Foster's eyes on her, that didn’t stop her though, she just wanted to go up to him grab his arm and tell him to come back to her. Not that she had any right to do that. She needed to forget about him and focus on the job, she turned to Foster gave her an encouraging smile and they both started to prepare for the influx of patients they were about to receive. Triage was set up fairly quickly now all they had to do was wait for the firemen to do their job.

“I can’t shake this feeling,” Sylvie confessed to Foster.

Foster quirked her brow up, “I have to agree with you there.”

They both assisted the other ambulances in whatever way they could help with. Sylvie had just finished up with a firefighter who had minor smoke inhalation when she heard Mouch call out. “Mayday, Mayday, Firefighter down, firefighter down.”

Her heart dropped in her stomach; she just knew it was Casey. He was always taking an unnecessary risk so that the others didn’t have to, he was extremely protective of those under his watch. She was so mad, why couldn’t he also take care of himself. Sylvie was so restless that even Foster was starting to get antsy. A little part of her hoped it wasn’t him when they all came out carrying their fallen colleague her worries were confirmed. She could tell it was him because none of them walked like him and she would forever recognize his nose that was pointy with a rounded tip.

She knew she should have let Foster take the lead she was too emotionally invested, but the moment she saw him instinct just took over. She distantly heard someone say that a beam had fallen on him, she just couldn’t focus on what they were saying. They placed him on the stretcher and she efficiently but frantically ripped open his turnout coat, her hands were shaking, her breathing laboured. She loved this man and no matter what happened she wanted him to have the life he deserved; Matt didn’t get very many good things even though he deserved them all. Come hell or high water she was going to make sure he lived; she cut his shirt and dotted all the I’s and crossed all the T’s while Foster intubated him. Once their check complete, they loaded him up in the rig. Normally she would drive, but she couldn’t let him go. Foster didn’t question anything when Sylvie climbed in the back with the Captain. She knew she had no right but she needs to be close to him and hold his hand; she knew Foster wouldn’t judge her but she couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed when she leaned down and whispered something in his ear.

They reached med and Matt was taken by Dr. Halstead, leaving them to sit in the waiting room. She sat restlessly, biting her lips raw and shook her leg up and down with worry. The rest of the firehouse soon joined them; Kelly was a mess feeling guilty that he hadn’t been there to have Matt’s back. Chief was beside himself with all while trying to make everyone feel calm, everyone was dealing with their own feelings regarding the accident. She, on the other hand, was losing it, she was trying to keep it together, she was failing miserably. Foster kept her hand on her knee, the heat of her hand keeping Sylvie from screaming out in frustration.

It felt like an eternity but in reality, it really was only a couple hours before they got any updates on Matt. Doctor Halstead confirmed that Matt had some smoke inhalation and a few cracked ribs and miraculously only lost consciousness due to a mild concussion and shock. Other than that, he was perfectly fine, miraculously.

All the tension eased out of her body; he was going to be fine. Severide and Boden were first to ask to see him and rushed to his room while the rest of the starting lining up to see him. She wanted to be first to see him, but then again compared to everyone else here her relationship with him didn’t really rank that high. She laughed in a self-deprecating manner while staring resolutely at the wall. She was a grade-A dumbass; Foster noticed the sadness in Sylvie and felt helpless all she could do was place her head on her shoulder and give her a hug. Sylvie smiled at her sweet friend and leaned her head on hers. Sylvie noticed that just about everyone had seen him, she motioned Emily to get up so that they could both go together.

Before they could, Boden told them that Severide was staying with him and the rest of them were going to return to their shift. Her mouth dropped open in disbelief, she didn’t even get to see him. She was about to protest a bit when Stella and Emily grabbed her arms walking her out of the hospital. She pouted at them, even if she did go head to head with Boden, she didn’t have a strong reason to see Casey.

For the rest of the shift, she was in a solemn mood. To be fair most of them were, it had been a ridiculously long time since Casey hadn’t been on shift with them. She kept staring at his quarters trying to fool herself into thinking he would walk out a there and make them all do drills. She was like an addict that even a patch couldn’t curb the cravings, she was truly and utterly screwed. If she couldn’t handle being away from him, how was she supposed to handle him and Gabby together?

The shift had come to end pretty soon after that, and once in the apartment, she knew what she was going to do. She was going to take a nap, do her laundry, buy some flowers, go see Matt before she starts avoiding him, cry in her car and finally go join the girls at Molly’s. It went without question that she was never ever going to tell anyone about this, not even Foster or Kidd. But first, she needed a cup of tea and she also needed to cuddle with a pillow on the couch while watching some crappy show on TV.

Foster had already retired to her room, so that left her alone with her thoughts. The mindless TV show did nothing to numb her; she was itching to go see Casey. Ugh, she just wanted to know if he was doing fine if he was lonely, she literally wanted to know everything about him. She groaned and leaned her head back on the couch. The last time she did this was the night Casey and Dawson went out; goodness she was pathetic.

Pouting into her cup she was reminded of the other stupid thing she almost did that night. Sylvie recalled every detail of that night and tortured herself relentlessly. When she saw Gabby her first reaction wasn’t even happiness and she felt super guilty for that, but she remembers the way her heart dropped in her chest. She remembers that sinking feeling she got when Casey laid eyes on Gabby, the crushing disappointment when whatever she thought they had going on disappeared from his eyes in seconds. How stupid she felt when she urged Casey to go see Gabby, some part of her wished he would’ve said no and that the Gabby chapter of his life closed. She was going to go to Molly’s that night but never ended up going, Sylvie knew she wouldn’t be able to stomach the fact that he might have gone home with her. In a moment of weakness, she almost called Severide and asked him if she should go after Matt, she was so desperate she was going to call Severide like that was going to do anything. The next shift when Casey confirmed her fears, she thanked every star in the universe that she didn’t call Kelly because loving Matt Casey was going to irrevocably tear her heart into itty bitty pieces that she would never in a million years be able to put back together.

She had begged and pleaded to every higher power for nights to spare her heart from falling for another man who wouldn’t be hers, but of course no such luck. She shook her head clearing the haze of her thoughts and went to go clean her cup. She noticed that she had spent quite a bit of time on the couch, making her reconsider doing her laundry today. Sylvie shrugged and made her way to her bed; she was mentally and physically exhausted.

She woke up a few hours later, sitting up in her bed she felt calmer than the morning. Looking over to the side, it was only three in the afternoon; she had planned to go visit Casey around ten so that he would be asleep when she saw him. She caved deciding to do some laundry to pass the time that way she could get dressed for the bar and pick up some flowers for him.

Once her laundry was done and folded, she had no more excuses left to put off going to see Casey. This was her last goodbye and then she was going to put this behind her and move on forward. Tonight, she wanted to feel good about herself and maybe set herself up on an online dating app or something. Sylvie couldn’t remember the last time she wore a sundress, or even wore a full face of makeup. She had a baby blue floral v-cut number hiding in the back of the closet that she hadn’t even worn yet there were even some nude short strappy heels she had been wanting to wear for the longest time, she pursed her lips contemplating whether or not she should do it. Before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed her makeup kit and gave herself a cute peachy look.

She gave herself a check in the mirror, feeling satisfied with her look she took a deep breath and made her way to the flower shop close to Chicago Med. Matt deserved a beautiful heartfelt bouquet, nothing in the shop was catching her eye.

“Can I help you?” A young man asked her.

“Oh, um, I’m looking for a bouquet but I don’t really know what I want.” She confessed.

The worker motioned her to a section of the shop she didn’t really pay attention too, there were plenty of beautiful arrangements but they were too elaborate for her liking. “Do you have any simpler bouquets”

He led her to the register where they kept the smaller arrangements, she smiled softly to herself there was a beautiful pot of yellow and white gardenias that looked lovely. They were perfect, they were simple enough that they didn’t evoke any particular feeling but lovely enough to convey best wishes.

Satisfied with her purchase she made her way to med where she saw Doctor Halstead. “Hey, Will. How’s Matt doing.”

Halstead took one look at her and grin crookedly, “Matt is doing great actually, he’ll most likely be released tomorrow with one week at home and then he can be on light duty at work for a few weeks.” He paused and pointed to Matt’s room, “I’m pretty sure he will feel a lot better seeing you like this but he’s knocked out pretty good. I think April gave him the good drugs.”

“Excuse me?” She didn’t catch his meaning until she looked down at her dress. “Oh, no, I’m headed out to see the girls after.” She laughed awkwardly.

He raised his head in understanding and let her go see Matt. Sylvie hesitated at the door now feeling extremely self-conscious and out of place after Will’s comment. He wasn’t being mean or anything but these days it didn’t take much to make her feel uneasy about Matt. She carefully closed the door behind her and took slow steps so her heels wouldn’t click too loud. She wanted to see Matt not wake him up. She placed the flowers on the table next to him, she had foregone the note for some reason she didn’t want him to know it was from her. She passed her finger softly on the petals gathering the scent, they truly were beautiful, she was oddly fascinated with the flowers. Chuckling to her self at her weirdness she sat down on the chair beside him, Sylvie took a moment to observe him. Since Gabby left he didn’t smile as much he used to, the sight of the furrow on his brow seemed to be painted on. He looked younger like this, his face sweet and innocent betraying his life story. She tapped the spot on his brow that was usually creased when he was awake, it was unfair how much she wanted to see him like this. Dawson really did get the best of him.

“I hope you get better soon.” She whispered.

Getting up she noticed a little bit of soot on his neck. Looking around she made sure that no one could see her before she lovingly wiped it away. She lingered her finger a bit; this was the last time she would ever voluntarily get this close to him. “I don’t think I’ll ever say this to you ever and I know this is cowardly but I love you.” Tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes, this really was goodbye. “I love you. I know you don’t feel the same way and I don’t expect you to feel the same. I hope you and Gabby can make it work this time, you deserve to be happy.”

“Yeah, I, um.” This hurt more than she thought it would, “I lo-, I, um, bye Matt.”

She quickly but quietly made her way out of the room, not noticing Severide standing there looking at her in shock. Rushing to her car, she broke down once in the driver seat. She took her sweet time calming down, somehow, she made it to Molly’s in one piece. She fixed her appearance and swore that no one was ever going to know about this.


	3. I Can Feel You

Severide sat in shock, head in his hands he had no idea what to do. He knew Matt and her were on the precipice of something before she left Indiana but he thought that had ended. He remembers the look on his friends face the day the Chaplin had proposed to Sylvie. Severide thought that Matt would have been happy for her but then he saw the look on his face, the I made a decision I regret which rarely ever happened. If anyone knew anything about Matt is was that he weighed the variables and made the right decision, he never made a bad one. Matt wasn’t happy for her like everyone else, he was regretful and guilty. He never understood why until Stella told him that the reason Brett accepted the proposal was because of Matt, his friend was an idiot.

The accident changed everything for everyone, losing Otis was hard on everyone but losing Sylvie changed something in Matt. He carried this tension around with him, it was like he could never fully relax. When Sylvie came back, whether he wanted to admit it or not he was back to being himself. Severide really thought they would find their way back together but then Gabby happened. He understood that she had been his wife and someone he thought he would spend forever with; when everything was said and done with them, Kelly realized that they were not mean to be forever. A part of him envied their relationship before him and Stella had ended up together, looking back on it they were a terrible match, Gabby craved her independence too much to ever be a good partner to Matt. She often left him in the dark waiting for her to come back to him and honestly it wasn’t fair to him, Kelly felt guilty that he never saw it but he couldn’t go back in time and fix it. Gabby coming back had given him the closure he never got, after what he witnessed, he realized that Sylvie didn’t see it that way. Was there something left for the both of them? He frowned, there was no way, he knew Matt wouldn’t go back down that road. As much he had once loved Gabby, they were nothing more than two individuals who once knew each other.

Matt and Brett truly deserved each other, they were both self-sacrificing idiots and genuinely good people. As similar as they were, they were also very different but when it came down to it Kelly believed that they were it for each other.

“Sylvie” He heard Matt call out.

“I may be a blond but I’m not that blond.” He smirked good-naturedly.

“Very funny.” Matt croaked trying to get up.

“Hey, hey, relax. Stay lying down.” Kelly said while gently pushing Matt down, thankfully he didn’t fight him too much.

“Hey, was Sylvie here?” Matt asked.

Kelly hesitated he didn’t want to out Brett, he didn’t think it was his place to do so. On the other hand, he didn’t want to lie to Matt. “Everyone visited you at some point or another, the firehouse is weird without you.”

Matt wasn’t satisfied with his answer, “I remember riding in the ambulance, she was there holding my hand. I know it was her, I’m pretty sure she told that she would kill me herself if I didn’t come back to her.”

Kelly sat slack-jawed, he missed out on more than he thought. “Good thing you do, if not I would’ve gone to kill you with her.”

Matt rolled his eyes, “Severide, I’m serious was she here.”

“She was leaving as I came in; I don’t think she saw me,” Kelly answered stretching the truth, he witnessed the whole thing from the flowers to the confession. It wasn’t his place to meddle he decided.

Matt nodded and pointed to the flowers, “You know you didn’t have to get me flowers.”

“Those aren’t from me, I got you cigars.” He said quirking his brow. “Don’t look at me, they weren’t here the last time I visited you.”

“They smell nice,” Matt remarked, they were also beautiful and thoughtful.

“Talk to me and don’t talk to me about the flowers.” Kelly knew Matt had been through the wringer but there was something going on with him and he was talking a little too long getting to it.

“Gabby is coming to the wedding. I’m sick and tired of everyone pushing us together. She left me and didn’t bother thinking about me. The last time we saw each other was the last time I was ever planning on seeing her. I didn’t even want to go in the first place, I only went because Sylvie told me to go. And yeah we had fun but that’s all it was going to be.” Matt was up to his head in annoyance with his friends, there was once a Casey and Dawson but that no longer was the case and he was happier for it. Don’t get him wrong, he loved Gabby but he no longer loved her like that. She was never going to be his last love, maybe at one point he thought she would be but the fog was lifted and he just wanted to move on.

“Did you tell everyone that?” Kelly asked.

“I shouldn’t have to say it.” Matt refuted.

Kelly narrowed his eyes, “Come on, what’s this really about.”

Matt smiled, Kelly was too sharp for his own good, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask out Sylvie. The timing is never right; the first time I saw her with the Chaplin and put my foot in my mouth, then she came back but her break up was too soon, her mom died and now Cruz’s wedding is coming up.” He explained with frustration, “and now it feels like the distance between us is greater than before. We used to see each other so often and now it’s like I’m lucky if I even catch a minute of her time.”

“What are your intentions because Sylvie is not someone you can use to fill the Dawson void.” Kelly tossed out quickly.

Matt’s voiced deepened growling at Severide, “There is no Dawson void. I have met many different people but I have never met a Sylvie. She is not a consolation prize and will never be.”

Severide raised his hands in surrender, “Geez, okay, I’m sorry I brought it up but are you serious about her?”

He glared at Severide, “I love her, okay. Life without her was unbearable and we were just friends. Dawson and I never had that kind of connection. Sylvie knows me better than you or even Dawson ever did. You both lived with me and had access to privy information, despite that she managed to get to know me better than anyone. We became good friends, somewhere along the line she crawled under my skin. We have a foundation that I have never had with anyone. I love her so much that I kept pretending I didn’t because I was scared. I forgot that in this line of work you don’t have the luxury of being afraid. If anything, this accident reminded me of that.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Kelly scratched his cheek in wonder.

Matt shrugged, “First I need to get out of this hospital. Thankfully, I only have cracked ribs, uncomfortable but not deadly. I need to plan a date, a good one, that’s where you, Stella and Foster come in.”

“I’m happy for you.” Things were really looking up for his friend and all it took was an accident.

“Don’t celebrate yet, we still have to get out of here.”

Kelly stood up, “Alright, Alright, lemme see if I can bribe Will into letting us leave now.”

Kelly left the room leaving Matt alone with his thoughts. He didn’t tell his friend what gardenias meant, because some part of him knew only Sylvie would ever buy him flowers like these. Severide didn’t want to tell but he could see it all over his face, Sylvie was here and for some reason Kelly didn’t want him to know. His niece Violet had taught him a bit about the language of flowers a long time ago, gardenias meant secret love. It was likely that anyone could’ve left him these flowers but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was her. He just wished he hadn’t been drugged up so that he could’ve seen her.

Gabby coming back for the wedding didn’t change anything for him, he wanted Sylvie and he didn’t need anyone’s permission to pursue this but hers obviously. Gabby stopped contacting them, she left them behind, not the other way around. The way he saw it she didn’t need an explanation or her permission.

He just really wanted people to stop pushing him towards Dawson, she divorced him, they moved on. He was done with that chapter of his life.

Kelly came back before his frustration could rise any further, “Alright, we can leave. You have to take slow careful movements. He also wants you to rest at home for a week because he knows you won’t listen if he tells you not to work for longer. For the remaining five weeks you’re on light duty.”

Matt thanked his friend and took his time getting dressed before he met him in the waiting room with the flowers in hand.

Kelly drove carefully back towards the apartment making sure to avoid potholes. He didn’t want Matt to be any more uncomfortable than he already was. Matt appreciated it but he just wanted to get home fast so he could take a nap and wake up bright and early to call Sylvie.

It took longer than normal to get home with Kelly’s careful driving, they eventually made it but Matt was didn’t have any energy.

“Alright buddy, let’s help you get to your room.” Matt was relieved, he didn’t argue too much with Kelly.

Kelly brought him safely to his bed where he passed out.

He woke up the next morning with anxious energy, he felt like he hadn’t seen Sylvie in months rather than days. It was only six in the morning, a little too early to call her. It was shift day so they most likely would be at the firehouse around eight. He figured he would make coffee for Severide and Kidd.

He carefully got up making sure not to jostle his ribs and went to take a long-overdue shower. Feeling clean and fresh, he made breakfast for his two roommates. It felt good to be out of the hospital, he was lucky the accident wasn’t that bad and could have been much worse than it was. An angel was seriously looking out for him. With breakfast done, he sat down on the couch and started flipping through the paperwork he had yet to do.

“You’re up early,” Stella remarked as she walked towards the kitchen. “And you made breakfast, I think I like having you home.”

“Ha, don’t get used to it” Casey smirked.

“Hey, Kelly, Casey made us breakfast.” She yelled out.

“I’m coming.” They heard Kelly yell out. He walked in the room when he spotted Matt, he remembered their conversation from the other night. “Did you tell Stella about the thing.”

“What thing?” She asked absentmindedly while grabbing pancakes.

“We are going to plan the perfect first date for Sylvie.” He replied rifling through his papers. He muttered to himself unable to make sense of the order of his documents. What was he thinking when he placed them in his bag? He was completely ignorant of the face that Stella was making.

“Wait, wait, what. Wait, hold on.” Stella damn near dropped her coffee, she was like a gaping fish. She could not believe the words that had come out of his mouth.

“Haha, Matt I think you broke her brain.” Kelly was amused by the whole situation.

“Shut up Kelly. Captain, you better be serious because boss or not I’m coming for you if you hurt her.”

Casey quirked his brow in her direction, “On my honour, I would never hurt her.”

Stella was unconvinced, she wanted to believe Casey. She was about to congratulate him when Dawson hit her like a tone of bricks. “What about Dawson?”

“What about her.” Casey sighed.

“She’s coming back.” She countered.

“So.”

“Dawson is coming,” Stella emphasized.

Matt groaned, “So, what do you want me to do about it.”

Stella’s eyes widened looking at Kelly then Matt, she entered the twilight zone. “What am I missing?”

“I’m sick and tired of everyone pushing to her, the last time we saw each other was the last time. She left without telling me, she sent me divorce papers, I don’t owe her anything.” He explained exasperatedly.

Satisfied with his answer she jumped on the ship, “Okay, then I’m onboard captain.”

“This goes without saying, but Stella you can’t let it slip to anyone.” Kelly cautioned with Matt nodding his head in agreement.

“Kelly.” She cried in indignation.

Matt shook his head in fondness, he and Sylvie had good people in their corner.

“Severide, Gardenias mean secret love.” He called out to his friend, pointing to the flowers that Kelly had placed on the coffee table for him last night.

Severide stopped in his tracks but before he could respond to Casey, he interrupted, “I know, she’s the one who brought them.”


	4. Glutton for Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys!!!!  
> First of all, thank you for your patience and kindness. I hope you guys are all staying safe.  
> Second of all, I owe you all an explanation. Because of COVID, I have been rushing to finish my degree in Biology so that my graduation doesn't get pushed. The summer semester consisted of a lot of long classes and a crazy amount of work that just kept coming. I finally finished my last final for the semester and I am back!!!  
> Thank you for sticking with me!!!!

Sylvie felt listless, she thought her confession would make her better but if anything, she was struggling. If it wasn’t the whole Casey thing, it was Scott leaving with the beautiful baby or it was trying to be a supportive friend for Foster, needless to say, she was exhausted. She just couldn’t catch a break; she wasn’t feeling her normal positive cheery self. She had donned her life is meaningless uniform, a pair of fuzzy socks, over-sized men’s shirt that belonged to her dad and the softest plaid PJ pants she had completed by a hot steaming mug of tea. She wished it was alcohol, but she needed to maintain some kind of decorum; she loved her friends and everything, but they could be quite nosey, and she really didn’t need or want an intervention.

Was she feeling sorry for herself? Yes. Was she being dramatic? Yes. Was she going to do something about it? No.

Sylvie just needed some time alone to get her head straight, she needed a moment to think about her feelings and not be worried about other people. Doing the right thing could be downright exhausting; she knew Foster was getting worried that she hadn’t been going out to Molly’s as of late. She just couldn’t sit through another conversation about Matt and Gabby; she gets it they were the couple of the century, and she was happy for them, but she didn’t a front-row seat to her own misery.

Sylvie turned her head to the sound of footsteps, “Hey, I’m headed to Molly’s, Stella and I are going to go dancing after her shift. We can go find you a date for the wedding.” Foster always looked beautiful, today, was no different as beautiful as she was, she had a certain look about her that worried Brett. Foster was a grade-A predator; Sylvie couldn’t keep up with the lioness in front of her and she wasn’t even going to try.

Sylvie paused to think, she could go but that would require getting or she could say no and have her friends talk about her later. She could survive the later. “I’m feeling tired tonight, I promise I’ll come next time.”

Foster frowned while nodding and didn’t push her friend any further. “Alright.”

“I pinky promise that I’ll come out next time. I really just am feeling tired and I’m missing Amelia today.” Brett said trying to appease Foster.

“You know where I am if you change your mind.” She waved at Sylvie and made her way to the car she ordered.

Sylvie sighed in relief; she was now free to wallow as much as she wanted. She really needed this. Don’t get it twisted, she really did miss Dawson, but Foster had put it in perspective for her. A good friend doesn’t leave you in the lurch without warning you, but she couldn’t be mad at her for following her heart. At her core, she was an amazing person to those in need, but to those, she loved not so much.

In the car, Emily sank herself in the seat keeping quiet getting lost in thought; Foster didn’t like that Sylvie was spending the night alone. She knew she wanted to spend the night alone, so she didn’t push. Emily knew how badly Brett wanted to visit the captain; she had been hanging on to her cellphone like a lifeline trying to call him, but she chickened out every time. Emily had even suggested going to visit him, unfortunately, Sylvie had vehemently denied. Every attempt she made to push her closer to Casey was thwarted by Sylvie’s stubbornness, she could appreciate that she wanted to protect her heart, even she could admit this was getting out of hand. Foster was loyal so she held up her end of the bargain by keeping them apart and honestly she really wanted to not help Sylvie anymore because Casey and she were meant to be that even the angels above were shaking their head at all this nonsense. They needed to just man up and kiss and then get married and have cute blue-eyed angel babies.

Foster entered the bar and sat in front of Stella, “Girl hit me with a tall, strong something.”

Stella tucked her chin into her chest in amazement, “Though day. Usually, you don’t try to get wasted until much later in the night.”

Emily lifted her eyes glaring at Kidd, “I’m under a lot of stress, I’m trying to help Sylvie but she’s just pulling away and I don’t know how to help.”

“Huh, I thought I was the only one who was thinking that.” She said while shifting her weight to her left leg and crossing her arms over her chest. She tilted her head to the left and pursed her lips in thought, “You know, she’s been spending a lot of time alone at the firehouse also. What do you think is going on?”

Emily placed her palms on the bar and leaned forward shifting her eyes back and forth “I don’t want to betray her trust, but I’m going to tell you something that you can’t repeat to anyone not even Severide.”

Stella nodded furiously stepping closer to her and leaning forward, “Okay, Okay, you have my word.”

“Good, Sylvie asked me to keep her and Casey apart because they keep running into each other like magnets.” She said staring with resolute determination at Stella.

Stella responded circling her hand around Foster's face “Alright creepy, calm your face down. I’m not going to tell anyone that, I thought it was something more I don’t know juicy.”

Foster gaped at her, “What do you mean not juicy, she basically confessed her love for the captain and then said they’ll never get together because he will always love Dawson more than anyone else.”

“Now that’s what you call juicy, so what are you going to do?” Stella sucked in a breath, she just got handed the golden ticket of solutions. The only problem was she needed to respect the way the captain wanted to do things. That meant she had to wait for Matt to make his move before she could rope Foster into their plan.

Foster pursed her lips, “I don’t even know.”

“Well, lemme go get you a drink while you figure it out.” Stella walked away leaving Foster.

Kidd felt a slight panic in her chest, the longer Matt took the longer she would have to sit here doing nothing.

Coming back to Foster with her drink she couldn’t help but ask, “Are you going to tell Casey?”

“No, no, I can’t tell him. I promised Sylvie I would help; my opinion doesn’t matter here.” She exclaimed.

“Foster, look, of course, your opinion matters. Brett is understanding.” Stella reasoned with her.

“I know, but she just needs this right now. With me and Amelia leaving her, her mom dying, Dawson coming back, Casey getting hurt, she’s going through so much. I don’t think she can handle this.” Emily chugged her drink trying to settle her heart rate.

“Brett can handle a lot more than you know.” Stella knew that Foster was trying to protect Brett, but their friend was a lot more resilient than people gave her credit for.

Foster threw her hands up, “She should have to, she is the kindest person I know. She sacrificed her own happiness for his, did you know that she convinced him to go see Dawson that night. She was so sad, but she did it anyway so that he could be happy. I was making fun of her, but she told me that his being happy made her happy. What kind of person does that?”

“Sylvie that’s who. That girl always leaves her heart wide open.”

“I know your friends with Dawson, but I’m team Sylvie all the way and let me tell you Dawson is not even half the friend Sylvie is to her.” She took a breath steadying her frustration. “She left them, didn’t consider their feelings and yet here both of them are being oh so careful of hers. How is that fair? How does she get a clean slate and yet those two are still carrying those scars?”

“I, okay, you’re right,” Stella said careful not to anger her more. “As much as I would love for them to figure it out, don’t you think we should help them get it right before Dawson comes back.”

“Lemme sleep on it. I don’t want to make an already delicate situation worse.”

“All right, I can respect that. We eventually will have to do something about this.” She commented. “Now, I need you to drink, because Herman is giving the stink eye for spending so much time talking to you and I need to make some sales.”

Foster lifted her almost empty glass up to her, “Fill me up. And while you serve me bartender I don’t know; I’m going to check on our girl.”

She texted Sylvie telling her that they were missing her sweet, sweet company. Maybe she would change her mind and come join them.

Brett was surprisingly not wallowing when she received the text from Foster, she actually was watching House Hunters. She hadn’t told anyone, but she was looking for something old she could slowly remodel for herself, she figured she wasn’t getting any younger and she had no prospects. Sylvie really didn’t see any reason to pause her life, her new purpose would be to build the perfect house for herself.

Her favourite part of any remodel was the kitchen, my goodness, could she go on and on about a kitchen. She loved the comfort of a farmhouse kitchen with a little modern twist, that was the dream. In her own home, she could probably turn the adjacent room into a giant walk-in closet, the possibilities were endless.

She quickly responded to Foster telling her about what she was good at and was just watching her shows. She felt her heart skip a beat when she noticed a text from Matt, her finger hovered over his name. Brett felt herself caving, all she wanted to do was hear his voice, she didn’t care if he spent a whole conversation talking about another woman. She really missed him. It was moments like this that made her question if she was doing the right thing. Would she be happier if she told him she had loved him when he was awake so that he could reject her?

Matt was asking her if she was doing okay, of course, he would, he was such a selfless man. She groaned, he always made her want him more. She also wanted to ignore him so she could protect her heart, she would never hurt Matt on purpose. Against her better judgement, she responded and told him that she was fine just getting ready to go to bed. She added that he should take care of his recovery and would see him soon. Hopefully, that would deter him from talking to her.

She was a weak, weak woman. She was going to call him. Every ring ramped up her anxiety.

“Hey.” One word and she was already weak in the knees, his voice was husky, warm, and it did that gravelly thing that men did that was so attractive.

“Why do I feel like you’re pushing your limits.” She knew Matt couldn’t sit still, it worried her how indestructible he thought he was.

He boisterously laughed through the phone, “I promise you Severide is keeping me on the straight and narrow.”

She smiled inwardly, everything felt warm and fuzzy when she and Matt were together in some capacity. “Good, I’m not there to nurse you back to health.”

“If you were here, I would be back on my feet faster.” What a charmer.

“Casey! You’re obviously doing a lot better.” She felt her cheeks heat up.

Sylvie twirled her hair on her index finger, feeling like a little girl with a giant crush. “I have only been out of the hospital for a day and I already feel good enough to go to work.”

“Casey.” She exclaimed loudly in reprimand. “Don’t even joke about that.”

He laughed lightly in the phone, “That’s why I have you. You keep me on track.”

Sylvie giggled, she felt infinitely better talking to him. She didn’t worry about her problems, she always felt more in control of everything with him. “Alright, take your pain medications and go to sleep. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Goodnight Sylvie.” She whispered goodnight and hung up the phone. She cuddled into the couch and smiled, she was just going to take this moment and pretend there was something more between them before reality sunk in and broke her heart.


	5. Avoidance?

“She’s avoiding me,” Matt growled at the wall, he thought after the phone call she would be more present but no it was the complete opposite.

Kelly quirked his brow up in amusement, “What makes you say that?”

“She’s not answering my calls or my texts.” He answered taking offence at the wall.

“Your first shift back is tomorrow so I wouldn’t worry too much,” Kelly said trying to placate his friend.

“It’s more than that, even before my accident she’s been acting distant. I just can’t figure out why?” Matt confessed; he did not think it bothered him as much as it did, but he missed her. He missed the way she smiled, her soft voice, her lovely laughter, her strength, their conversations that made him feel more alive than he ever has. “I miss her.”

Kelly twisted his lips in concern, he did not like seeing Matt like this, “I’m sure she’s been busy, look next shift even if I have to lock her in your office I will.”

He smiled; Kelly was a damn good friend. “I don’t think you’ll have to do that; I just want to make sure she’s okay, she hasn’t been herself lately.”

“Hey, you guys talking about Brett?” Stella inquired walking into the house with some takeout for dinner. “Because she’s been acting weird, I haven’t seen her at Molly’s even Foster thinks she’s becoming a hermit.” She remarked placing the food on the dining table and making her way to the couch opposite Matt.

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, he could understand her unwillingness to talk to him but to ignore Stella and Emily that was something else. “She’s been avoiding you guys also?”

“Yeah, I thought it was because of Scott and Foster.”

“What do you mean because of Scott and Foster?” He thought he took the baby with him and Foster well their argument had been resolved months ago.

“They’re moving back to Rockford and Emily is trying to go back to Med School.” She explained.

Matt sat dumbfounded; Sylvie did not deserve this she was already going through so much.

“Damn, Brett is really getting put through the wringer.” Severide shook his head in sympathy.

Stella nodded, “I’m worried about her, but I don’t know how to reach her.” Sylvie was always there for everyone and it would be a shame if they failed her in her time of need. “She needs her people around her; this is unlike her.”

“What should we do, little miss sunshine needs a new sunrise?” Severide asked wanting to cheer them up.

They both laughed at his terrible joke.

“When do you plan on asking her out?” Stella wondered.

“As soon as I can get a hold of her,” Matt confessed in mild irritations at how easily she was able to avoid him.

“We still haven’t gotten to tell Foster about our plan,” Kelly remarked ripping Matt out of his spiraling irritation.

Matt shrugged, “I figured I’d tell her in person.”

“I don’t know about you guys but I’m hungry let’s have dinner,” Stella said breaking up the conversation.

The men agreed, Matt carefully braced his arms on either side and gently pushed himself up off the couch.

The next morning Matt woke up feeling determined. His ribs were throbbing but not in a way that would bother him or hurt him. He was ready to be busy with his time, one week off duty was more than enough for him. He could admit that he was a workaholic, but he also never compromised his health. He also hated idle hands, and something about working sounded just right. He was thankful that Kelly woke up earlier for him so that they could arrive at the firehouse before the shift.

He was practically vibrating with energy; he was pretty sure Severide was about to launch him out of the car. “Casey you better calm down before you injure yourself.”

“Just keep driving.” He grumbled.

Kelly ignored Matt, “Anyways, I think you better talk to Foster before bells go up.”

“I was thinking of speaking with her in my office.” Matt wanted to get Foster on board as quickly as possible, it’s not like he was on a time limit, but he wanted to give Sylvie all the happiness in the world sooner than later.

Kelly nodded and parked the car, he motioned for Matt to stay seated so he could help him out of the car. “I’m not made of glass Severide.”

Kelly released a long-suffering sigh, “Keeping your ass alive is a task. The amount of stupid you get yourself and us into is insane.”

“Ha, ha, come let’s get to work.” He said rolling his eyes.

They placed their things in the locker room; Kelly headed towards the kitchen to make a pot of coffee and he wanted to get to his quarters. But before heading to his quarters, he went to see the chief who was also working on some paperwork at his desk. “Morning Chief.”

He raised his head surprised to hear someone welcome so early in the morning. “Casey, looking better than I thought you would.”

Casey chuckled rubbing his hand at the back of his head, “Yeah, I was going a little crazy at home.”

Boden smiled in sympathy, “Well it’s good to have you in the firehouse.” He then placed emphasis on the following words out of his mouth, “On light duty.”

He agreed and went to his office.

Matt settled into his office and widened his eyes at the mountain of paperwork that accumulated over the week. Higher rank always meant more paperwork, but this took the cake. Suddenly feeling lucky at being stuck on desk duty, he would be able to complete all the paperwork and not be behind once he was ready for active duty. He set an alarm for the start of the shift, he figured he could catch Foster before the morning meeting.

Every so often Man would lift his head from his work and scan the bunk room for Foster, he had no such luck yet. He was confident that if he had Emily by his side, he could manage to convince Sylvie how much she meant to him. Not having her around really took a toll on him; he was used to Gabby being a separate entity from himself, with Sylvie it was like she was deeply entwined with his core person. Not having Sylvie near him was like missing a piece of himself; he had mixed feelings when it came to seeing Gabby that last time, he got the closure he wanted but on the other hand it felt like he was sacrificing his progress.

Foster knocking on his door relieved him of his thoughts as well as his work. “Welcome back Captain! Severide told me you were looking for me.”

Matt smiled and motioned for her to come in, “Close the door and make yourself comfortable.”

Foster frowned and sat tentatively on his cot, had she done something wrong? “Captain, I swear nothing happened while you were away.” She blurted out quickly hoping to soften the reprimand.

Casey furrowed his brow in confusion, “Okay.” He said while drawing out the word not fully understanding her. “I wanted to talk to you about something personal.”

Foster cocked her brow in confusion, she was not expecting that.

As is the tradition in the firehouse, every important conversation had to be interrupted.

“AMBULANCE 61”

Foster jumped in action leaving Casey hanging.

Casey went slack in his chair and hung his head back in frustration, why was this so hard. The one person he wanted to talk to wasn’t there, and every time he tried to find a way to get close to her, he was interrupted. He blew his breath out up in the air and shook his head.

“I think you might be right.” Matt raised his head and fixed a look at Severide.

“What makes you say that?”

“Look, I didn’t want to believe it when you said it, but she’s avoiding you,” Severide confessed. He figured Sylvie would avoid Matt after what he had witnessed but this was getting out of hand, Kelly literally saw Foster drag Brett away from the bunk room and heard her mention that Brett would want to avoid the bunkroom because of Matt.

“Did something happen between us that I don’t know about?” Casey felt helpless, he had no control over this situation, and it was eating him up. “I’m pretty sure everything was normal between us before I got hurt.”

The guilt ate Kelly up inside, was it his place to tell Matt what he had witnessed or did wait and let fate take care of the situation. As much as he wanted to put Matt out of his misery, he thought it wise to get Stella’s advice first. Best case scenario, Sylvie told Stella what transpired at the hospital; worst case, he was going to drop a bombshell in her lap. “Let me see if Stella knows anything; don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone.” Severide pointed at Matt, hoping his stubborn mule of a best friend wouldn’t go crazy.

Matt raised a brow and pursed his lips while gently sweeping his hand over himself. “I’m not going anywhere, the amount of effort it took me to get in this chair is embarrassing enough. As much as I wish I could go chase her down, I can’t move very well so she pretty much has an unfair advantage.”

Severide chuckled walking away. Once out of sight, Kelly blew out a breath of slight panic. He was either going to fix a problem or cause a shit storm. Normally, he had no problem with the former, but this was his best friends’ life. He was going to hell if he messed this up. Matt deserved so much more than what he’s gotten so far, and he didn’t want to be responsible for running his one chance at true everlasting happiness.

He knew Stella had camped out in the conference room to look over Girls on fire applications, if he was lucky, she would be alone. He carefully walked over to not draw any attention to himself.

“Hey, you busy?” He asked while sitting on the table in front of her.

Stella shot her head up and paused, “Well, I’m reading these applications. What do you need?”

Kelly shook his head and smiled, “Don’t freak out or draw attention to yourself. I need advice.” Stella lit up; it wasn’t often that he came to her for advice if anything she mostly forced her advice on him with good faith. “Calm down, don’t give me that look.” He cautioned.

“I saw something I shouldn’t have. Which may give me the solution to Casey’s problem.” Stella gave him a perplexed look; this was sounding more like he witnessed a murder.

Kelly leaned forward placing his forearms on his thighs spreading his palms out, “At the hospital when I went to see Matt, I saw Brett there.” Stella quirked up her brow in confusion that was the night the three of them were drinking at Molly’s. “She told him she loved him and then wished him well with Dawson, and then left crying. Now, I’m sure that Foster is purposefully keeping her and Matt apart.”

Stella froze in shock, “What.” It was heavy information that was a lot to process. “So, you have been sitting on this for how long?” She asked in disbelief.

“I didn’t know if it was my place to say anything about this, I figured they would both get it right. Since Brett is avoiding Matt this whole situation is about to get worse.” Kelly explained. “You and I both know he doesn’t want Dawson back, no one else does. Maybe we could let it slip that Casey isn’t about to go running after Dawson, that way she’ll stop avoiding him.”

Mother of pearl, first Foster and now Kelly, people needed to stop confessing to her. She had all this information she could do nothing with, she could risk breaking their trust, but this can of worms was too deep. Damn it. She inwardly groaned Matt needed to hurry up, she couldn’t handle this.

Stella sighed in understanding but realized they had very little time to rectify this situation before it imploded on itself. “The wedding is next week; we have very little time to fix this. We can’t tell the Captain about the hospital because that is something Brett needs to do. We can’t tell her what he feels about Dawson because he needs to tell her that. We need Foster to help bridge the gap. Damage control, we need to do damage control here. I will corner Foster and hopefully, get her to help us fix this mess.”

She grabbed her head in frustration. “Kelly, this is a mess.”

“Stella, we just need to fix this without causing more trouble.” Severide reasoned.

“I hope so.” Stella wasn’t feeling very confident with their, they could control the situation here, but they couldn’t control the potential mess that Dawson could accidentally help create.


	6. Moving Forward

On the drive back, Sylvie couldn’t help but want to ask Foster why Casey wanted to see her. The curiosity had been eating her up inside, it was such an odd interaction that she didn’t know what to make of it. She pursed her lips gazing at the side of her partner's face, she felt a little odd bringing it up but at the same time worried if Foster would think she was being too obsessive.

“So, um, what did Casey want?”

“Nothing really, the bells went off before we could talk.” She hummed in response not really paying attention to Brett.

Sylvie sank in her seat and pouted, so much for putting her mind at ease. Why would Matt need Foster? She hoped it was an administrative thing and not related to her avoiding him. She knew she couldn’t avoid him much longer without revealing her hand, but the distance is what she needed to lock up her pesky feelings. She turned her head towards Foster hoping to ask another question but noticed her friend’s brow furrowing at the road ahead. She could see that they were stuck behind a few cars slowing their entrance into the firehouse but nothing that would cause such a reaction.

Foster, on the other hand, hadn’t registered what Sylvie had asked her until she started pulling into the firehouse. Was she jealous? Wasn’t she the one ignoring Casey? She quickly blurted out her thoughts before Sylvie could exit the ambo. “Am I not supposed to talk to the Captain?”

Sylvie's eyes shot up to her hairline, “What no, of course not. Of course, you can talk to him. I was just curious.”

Foster smiled at her not believing a work coming out of her PICs mouth, “Sure, whatever you say.”

Sylvie glared at her friend parking the ambulance refusing to say anything to Foster. As the vehicle jerked to a stop Sylvie let out a long and tired sigh.

Foster nodded in agreement, “Ugh, I’m with you girl. Today feels like it’s going to be a long day.”

“Normally, it’s not that bad but today feels like it’s going to endless for us.” She groaned not ready to get out of the cab and face reality. “I’m already tired of thinking about it. I just want to eat and sleep.

Foster motioned her to get out and go face reality with her. They both needed to restock the ambulance before they could go and rest. They completed the task in record time so that Emily could catch Casey before they were called out again.

She leaned against the ambo door taking a minute to collect her thoughts, she rubbed her hands up and down her arms trying to stimulate some warmth and comfort. Even on its best days Chicago had a way of emulating the feelings stirring inside. The streets were uncharacteristically empty, very little noise could be heard. The birds were nowhere to be seen, no cars had passed, not even someone running out on a jog. It was isolating.

Sylvie knew that days that hit the ground running were exhausting, today was no exception, all she wanted to do was pass out on her cot till the end of the shift but that would mean going into the bunkroom where Casey was camped out and she was still being a coward. The blue room was still a good option, getting there would be a little difficult she had too many obstacles to overcome namely the chief. She grumbled at herself, why couldn’t she woman up and talk to Casey? The only one being punished was her.

She had two options at this point, either grab herself some food and camp out in the common room or sit in the conference room and find some paperwork to do. With Emily gone to go talk to Matt about whatever he needed her for she was down a human shield, a human shield she needed but was also doubting a bit.

Foster promised her she would help her with the whole Matt situation but if she was being honest it felt like she was pushing her towards him. Sylvie knew she could be wrong and paranoid about this, something was just not settling in her gut. She didn’t question her friend’s loyalty or anything, but things were a little too quiet like the quiet before the storm. The whole thing was just unsettling, as a paramedic, she learned to trust her gut and her gut was telling her to be vigilant. She sighed in frustration, she really needed to get her head on straight.

“Hey Brett, there’s food.” She heard Capp call out to her.

Sylvie pushed herself off of the ambo and nodded in thanks. The universe had decided for her, she was going to go eat in the common room.

Foster on the other hand had rushed to go see Casey before he changed his mind about telling her his personal thing. As luck would have it, the captain was still in his quarters talking to Severide. She didn’t want to interrupt but at the same time, she wanted to satisfy her curiosity. “Hey, Captain.” She greeted. “I hate to interrupt but you had asked me to see you before I was called out.”

“Foster.” Severide had acknowledged while Matt welcomed her into his quarters.

She was confused as to why Severide was still in Matt’s quarters. She thought that this was supposed to be a private conversation. Emily was careful not to let her face reveal her emotions.

“Foster, I have a little favour to ask.” He asked her sheepishly, feeling a little out of sorts. It wasn’t really his style to be so open about his dating life, but he really needed to get this right with Sylvie. She deserved everything he could offer and then some. He acknowledged that while his relationship with Dawson had been important to him it had also been toxic at times. With Sylvie, he knew that they could have something more, something solid, reliable and honest. Had this been another life where he had never been with Dawson, he was sure he and Brett would have been married with a few kids by now. “Sylvie’s been through so much lately. I just want to do something special for her; I was hoping that you, Severide and Kidd could help me plan the perfect date for her.”

Foster stared dumbfounded at the captain, she wasn’t blind to the signals the man had been sending her friend although she really hadn’t expected him to be so forthcoming with his feelings, “Um, that’s great Captain. It really is, but I got to look out for my girl here.” Sylvie needed someone who was there for her and only her. Foster understood that Sylvie and Gabby had been best friends, but at the same time, friends don’t ghost you. Although this could be a potentially messy relationship in terms of others' opinions of them, they both deserved to be happy. This would only work if the Captain was all in. “Isn’t your ex-wife coming back? Don’t you guys still have unfinished business? I mean I’m rooting for you and her, but you know.”

He couldn’t really blame Foster for being on the offensive, it’s not like he really vocalized how he felt about Sylvie or even showed any overt indication that he had more than friendly intentions. “I respect that, I got my closure and I’m happy to move on. I will always respect Gabby; she was my wife, but our relationship wasn’t perfect and even if she didn’t leave, I don’t think we would have stayed together.”

They both looked a little confused at his confusion, everyone expected the Dawsey saga to be forever and even he did but now that the rose-coloured glasses were off, he saw the relationship for what it was. Their relationship wasn’t healthy, sure they loved each other and had a passion that wasn’t enough for a long-term sustainable partnership. Gabby was a strong independent, fiercely kind woman, she just didn’t need him the way that a husband and wife needed each other.

“I’m not so hopeless that I didn’t see the way things were going between her and me. We just didn’t communicate well enough and some part of me will always resent that.” He added in response to their facial expressions.

Foster pursed her lips and gave the captain a good long hard look, “I’ll help you, but I have a condition.” She paused giving herself a moment

Matt sat up a bit intrigued by Foster's bravado, Kelly on the other hand hardened his gaze. He didn’t care if she was looking out for Brett, his friend deserved good things and he wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from him. “Fost-”

Casey quickly interjected before Severide could unleash his dissatisfaction. “Name your price.” Kelly looked over at his friend in apprehension, he sometimes wished Matt would hesitate before diving headfirst into things.

“You need to talk to her and give her something because honestly, she’s too good to be waiting for you. It’s now or never Captain.” She told him straight up what he needed to do and if he didn’t then it was his loss.

Casey nodded agreeing with Foster, the wedding was fast approaching and the last thing he wanted was for her to show up with a date that wasn’t him. “I would love to see her and talk to her but she’s kind of been ignoring me.”

Foster winced; she didn’t think it was wise to tell him what she had been up to but they needed a way to get Sylvie to see Matt without her getting suspicious with Emily’s involvement. “How do we get her to stop.” She asked playing dumb.

“We can tell her Casey got hurt and needs someone to look him over.” Kelly shrugged.

Foster liked that idea, “That’s a good idea but who’s going to tell her. Because if it’s me she’s going to know something’s up.”

Kelly agreed, “I don’t think she’ll believe me either.”

A light lit up in Casey’s head, “Gallo.”

“He’s a good kid, If I let it slip to him, I’m pretty sure he’s going to tell Brett.” Kelly started plotting in his head, he knew exactly how he wanted to execute this. He would have to camp out in the common room though.

“I think I should be with Brett when you do it. That way she won’t suspect it’s us forcing her to talk to the captain.” She felt like she was betraying Sylvie a bit, she was just tired of her friend being sad and wanted to help her out.

Casey didn’t feel comfortable lying to Sylvie, he wanted to start this chapter with her the right way and that meant being honest. “Guys look, I appreciate the help, but I want to do this the right way. Just tell her to come to see me, Foster.”

Severide and Foster respected that Casey wanted to do this the right way, they still needed a little nudge though.

Emily tried to reason with him a bit, “How about we compromise and tell her your ribs are feeling uncomfortable and being stubborn about taking your painkillers that’ll get her attention.”

Kelly smirked, “It’s not a lie, before you came in, I was trying to convince him to take his painkillers.”

Casey sneered at his friend, “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not, you keep making that face when you move,” he scoffed leaning forward to grab the bottle of pills on the captain’s desk. “This bottle is as full as the day you got it; you don’t need to torture yourself. We get it-you're a tough guy.”

“Look, I’ll take it if I need it.” He explained stiffly.

Foster quietly made her way out of the captain’s quarter while they argued. She shook her head in disbelief, she often heard of the bickering between the two friends, but this was the first time she had witnessed it firsthand.

“What’s up with those two,” Stella asked. She needed to discuss something with Kelly when she noticed Foster shaking her head and leaving both of them arguing with each other.

“They’re having their lovers quarrel,” Foster said deadpanned.

Stella cackled, “Why am I not surprised.” Not one to keep things to herself, she didn’t waste any time asking Foster what she was doing with the both of them.

“The captain told me about his feelings for Sylvie,” Foster confessed knowing that Stella was somehow already involved in this.

“Thank God, I’ve been sitting on this way too long,” Kidd exclaimed relieved with the turn of events.

Foster smiled, “You’re always one step ahead. You’ll be happy to know the Captain will be talking to our girl today.”

“That’s amazing, finally.” The joy she felt had no bounds. Brett was finally going to get her happy ending. “As amazing as that is, I really needed to talk to Kelly so I’ll see you in a bit.”


End file.
